Trinidad Street Foods

A Guide to the Best Snacks in This Side of the Caribbean

Oct 10, 2009

The small island of Trinidad and Tobago offers a rich, wide variety of affordable street foods for tourists.

The streets of Trinidad and Tobago are filled with many choices for food. Whether tourists are strolling around the sidewalks of Independence Square, located in the Port of Spain capital, or heading home after a night out, street food vendors lineup the roads with appetizing and wallet-friendly assortment of snacks.

Doubles

One of the most popular one isdoubles. An East Indian-inspired dish, doubles are made of fried bread (commonly known as "bara"), chickpeas ("channa") and pepper sauce. Depending on the vendor, a doubles stand might offer chutneys such as mango and cucumber. Customers can also choose how much pepper they wish to put. Locals say the dish was originally made with one bara but customers soon asked vendors to double up the bread; Thus its name today. Doublesare very popular as breakfast or brunch snacks and often sell out before noon. It also used to be the most sought after post-clubbing food, but the Mediterranean wrap, gyros, has taken its place today. Visitors can find a doubles stand at pretty much every street.

Corn Soup

Much like doubles, corn soup in Trinidad also draws its roots from East Indians. Unlike conventional corn soup, however, the Trinidadian version uses local herbs such as chadon beni and usually comes with dumplings (rolled flour steamed in the broth). Many corn soupvendors can be seen in highly-populated spots such as Port of Spain, St. James and the Savannah roundabout.

Oyster Cocktails

Of course the list wouldn't be complete if seafood choices aren't mentioned. The island of Trinidad and Tobago is rich with delicacies from the waters. A unique example is oyster cocktails. Street vendors serve raw oysters in a cup and mix it with tomato juice and pepper sauce. The result is a well-blended seafood concotion. Customers, once again, can pick the hotness of the pepper sauce. (Hint: Anything after medium pepper may be too much for newbies.) Oyster vendors are not as prevalent as doubles or corn soup stands, but many are available around the Savannah and southern parts of Trinidad such as San Fernando.

Shark and Bake

The bestseller of Trinidad street foods, however, is shark and bake. Perhaps the most publicized grub on the list, shark and bake has been featured in several food shows. Its ingredients is exactly its namesake: shark meat and deep-fried bread (or "bake"). The most exciting part of chowing down a shark and bake is the array of dressings. In Maracas Bay, about 45 minutes from the capital, Richard's Shark and Bake reigns as the king of beach snacks. Richard's stand offers buffet-style trays of dressings, from garlic sauce to pineapples to green seasoning.

The copyright of the article Trinidad Street Foods in Caribbean Food is owned by Christal Gardiola. Permission to republish Trinidad Street Foods in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.